Glad You're Back
by Fields of Price
Summary: After being separated from each other for over five years, Max Claufield and Chloe Price have some catching up to do.
1. Chapter 1

_'God.. When this train passes I'm going to actually murder her.'_ Max thought to herself, her face buried in the palms of her hands as she tried to wait out the pounding in her head. It didn't help that she had to push herself so soon after coming out of another one of her visions. Just moments pass by until she's pushed back a couple steps from the bear hug from her living blue haired friend. Sliding her arms up out of the grip before they're crushed along with her chest and looped them around Chloe's neck.

"MAX! You're hella awesome, gurl!" Chloe proclaimed, "Coming through in the clutch again! What are you now, two for two?"

"More like two for ten.." She let out in more of an exhausted breath than half as happy as Chloe sounded, "Please be more careful, Chloe.. It takes a lot out of me when I do it so often." The pounding in her head retreating to no more than a hard pulse.

"Well.. I really appreciate it, sista!" She said in a way that left Max unsure if she'd listen to anything that was just mentioned, breaking off the hug right afterwards. "Man. I haven't even gotten over the fact you nearly killed Frank back there for me, and now this? I think we're bonded for life now, Maxine."

"Ughh.." Max groaned while simultaneously gave Chloe a push that probably moved herself back more than it did the other. "You know how I feel about people calling me that. But yeah.. And I'm never leaving again. Not by myself at least." Max finished with a smirk.

"Woahh, been working out?" Chloe joked at that halfhearted push before returning to the other matter, "And you better not. Else I might actually have to track you down and murder you!" She laughed, even managing to draw a little chuckle from Max. "Let's head somewhere a bit safer, we have a bunch'a catching up to do and I simply must hear about the adventures of Super Max in Seattle." Extending a tattooed arm towards her best friend, "Right this way, Madame."

* * *

With a smile, she took Chloe's hand in her own. "After you, Ms. Price." It was amazing to her that after all these years they were able to talk so casually to each other like they never even left. "Just don't get your hopes up." Max warned. And with that, they turned to head back to Chloe's car.

"Five years, Max. Five years and you still can't get over my bed." Chloe said with crossed arms, standing at the edge of her bed watching as Max buried herself underneath the blankets. "I mean come on. Grow up, girl."

Still bouncing so slightly from her initial flop face first on the mattress, Max spoke out, her voice muffled by the severely worn out blankets, "It's been so long! We have so many memories from this old thing." The only difference being the faint smell of smoke, both from cigarettes and what Max got 'busted' for the previous day.

"Sit up, dummy. I can hardly hear a word your saying." Chloe spoke before jumping back onto her bed with her butt in an attempt to break Max from her trance. Success.

Max positioned herself leaning back, supported by her elbows still resting on the mattress. "It's just how I remember it. We used to bounce on this thing all the time. It used to drive Joyce crazy." She said with a smile, stretching her arms up over her head and laying back down on the bed, only this time nothing covering her mouth.

"Still does." Chloe retorted almost instantly and topped it off with a snort, drawing a puzzled look from Max for a few short seconds before responding with a chuckle of her own and nudging into Chloe with her knee. "So tell me of your exploits, Super Max." She requested, falling back with her head now resting on her hands, leaving them both on their backs. "Have a boyfriend? Or two? Three?"

"Oh god.." Max let out, sounding almost defeated. She knew a question like this would come up, though she just hoped it wouldn't have come so soon "I uh.. No, not really. I've been saving myself for you all these years, Ms. Price." Max said exuberantly, though not entirely sarcastically, hoping to guide the conversation in another direction.

"My god, Max. You are such a prude!"

' _Crap. She saw right through that. Oh well, please let that be the end of it.'_ Max thought to herself, just wanting to move on.

"Do you even like boys?" Chloe asked, jumping up to her knees and just as quickly swinging one over to the other side of Max's waist to straddle her, trying her hardest to keep it together while looking at the wide eyes and open mouth of the shocked person below her. "Nahh, I bet you don't.." Lowering herself closer to Max's face slowly with each word spoken. "I don't blame you, they're gross, right?"

"Uhh C-Chloe.. W-what are you doing?" Max struggled to let out, her pounding heart feeling like it was in her throat. Placing both of her hands against Chloe's shoulders trying to stop her advance, her face turning a brighter red the closer Chloe came, causing her to close her eyes and turn her head.

The hands on Chloe's shoulders doing almost less than nothing to stop her advance. "I think so too.." Chloe spoke out softly, now close enough for the heat of her breath to brush against Max's cheek.

' _Okay okay okay I can't do it anymore. She's so cute like this, I can't keep it up.'_ Chloe thought before turning her voice out, "I'M FUCKING WITH YOU, DUDE!" She exclaimed and sat herself back up laughing as hard as she had all month. Falling off Max to the side she laid before this little joke, still giggling like a maniac while watching Max and her beet red face slowly open her eyes. "Gosh you're so adorable, acting like you've never been kissed before. Which you have.. Right?" Chloe managed to get out after a few more moments of laughing.

 _'NOT COOL CHLOE! You made me look like a total idiot! I can't believe that.. this was all my fault. Ughhh I should've just lied to her a minute ago. But I'll be damned if I rewind for that. She's my best friend, so what if I'm a little embarrassed in front of her? I wouldn't want to lie to her anyway. Get it together Max! You have a superpower, what do you have to be embarrassed about?'_

Doing her best to rub the red from her cheeks with a few deep breaths and some self-motivation, Max was finally able to face her devilish friend. After a moment of eye contact, Max finally bit the bullet and shook her head. Her brunette hair falling in front of her eyes as she made the movement. Perfect, now she didn't have to see Chloe's expression. Though it didn't matter, Max knew Chloe had her mouth wide open with the hint of a smile tracing along the edges of her lips.

"You know, you haven't changed a bit! You're still the same Max Caulfield from five years ago. So you know what.." Chloe spoke, sniggering quietly to herself, not wanting to make Max any more embarrassed, despite just how adorable she thought it was. "I dare you to kiss me." She finished up, brushing Max's hair from her eyes to find that same dismayed face from just moments before, near instinctively bringing a hand up to stifle a laugh.

"You wh.. Y-yo.. You da-"

"Yes, I dared you." Chloe cut off, "You know what, I double dare you, kiss me now."

' _Did she really just do that?! Okay, Max, you have to make up your mind and FAST. She's my best friend, this is wrong. No, she's my best friend, so who better than that? But she's a woman, do I even like women? No, Max, you don't know what you like. You can't pretend you don't think she's attractive..'_

Taking in a mock astonished breath, Chloe let out "Is this Max not going through on a dare? No, worse. A double da-"

This time Chloe being cut off by the quick little peck on the lips Max gave her before pulling herself back. "There, I kissed you." Max let out factually, her heart beating nearly as hard as her head was pounding earlier in the day on the railroad. She was feeling a handful of emotions, excitement, anxiousness, proud, humiliated, but there was something she felt in her that had nearly been forgotten about up until this point. Butterflies?

"Okay, Caulfield, I'll say it, didn't think you had it in ya." Chloe spoke, genuinely not expecting Max to have gone through with it, if you can call it a 'kiss'. "But I'll have you know, that was no kiss. That little thing you did? Like a bird pecking at some food in a seeder. Here, I'll show you how it's really done.." Chloe wrapped up and leaned toward the timid brunette who looked perfectly terrified at what was about to happen.

Before Max could voice any protest, a warm, pale hand rested against her cheek to almost guide her into the moment. Their lips connecting in a one sided embrace as the now madly fluttering butterflies in Max's stomach screamed for control, a request to which she hesitantly accepted, closing her eyes and melting her away into the passion of their touch. Not being herself, Max's hand found its way up to the warm fingers held against her cheek and traced a path along the way to Chloe's waist.

After what felt like too short a time to Max, who somehow managed to enjoy herself, it was over. Chloe pulled herself off with a gleeful smile strewn against her face, the taste of the other lingering in each ones mouth. Both of them bringing their hands back to themselves, "Well look at you, party girl. Almost seems like you enjoyed it a bit."

* * *

 **NOTES:**

This was my first attempt at any fanfic type thing, and I'm not entirely sure if it will be my last. I have nothing exactly in my mind where I want this to go, so other then shipping PriceField, there's no real motivation behind this for me. If anybody has any ideas where they think I should take this story, I just might continue.

This was mostly practice for me, as I'm not entirely adept at writing stories, yet I have a class on it. So if (If. Heh) there are any parts in here that any of you may find particularly shit, go ahead and mention it. Critique the hell out of it, that'll help me big time in my future writing.

Like I said, this'll more than likely be a one-shot unless I come up with a slammin' idea or anybody would be so kind as to throw something my way. I'd like to keep it in the LiS universe in maybe a diverging storyline.


	2. Chapter 2

' _Okay, Max, take a moment and think about what you just did.. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL CRAP WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU JUST KISSED YOUR BEST FRIEND, YOU PSYCHO!'_ She screamed inside, the gravity of the situation hitting her like an actual ton of bricks.

"Hello? Earth to max? You there?" Chloe asked, waving a hand in front of Max's face hoping to draw any sort of reaction from the girl obviously deep in thought, her eyes dancing around those of her blue haired friend. "Did I break you? The next step is slapping you a few times." Chloe prodded with a little snicker and pinched Max's nose shut, looking to force a reaction, and succeeding.

"What the hell was all that about?" Max let out in her usual tone, always being more than decent at quieting the little voice in her head screaming bloody murder. Propping herself up on her elbow and making her first eye contact with Chloe since that little incident, if only even for a second. "I-I.. And what exactly was your deal you freaking…!" She exclaimed to a hand held in front of her face, ridiculing it for running all the way down Chloe's side. Feeling as insecure and alienated as she had in anytime in recent memory, though even the weight of those emotions not enough to keep down even the hint of a feeling of relief and.. Liberation?

A hand from her friend, who seemingly isn't near a fraction as conflicted, even so much as sporting a little smirk, coming up to lower Max's back to the mattress, saving it from any further persecution. "Hey, you're hurting the poor things feelings." Chloe said with a little chuckle, even drawing what looked to be a half smile from the brunette. "Now.. Aren't you glad you got that out of the way? Now if anybody ever asks you if you've been kissed before, you can answer with ' _Yes, by a blue haired goddess_.'" Both of them letting out a little titter.

"Cut it out, you doof." Max responded, rolling onto her back and rubbing her eyes with the base of her palms. She had calmed down a good deal in the last half minute, spearheaded by the words spoken by her friend.

"You even seemed to lose yourself for a bit there. But I don't blame you, I'm pretty amazing."

"I said knock it off, you ass!" Max exerted with a giggle, tossing her hands back to her side as she now laid there checking out the ceiling. ' _Well, she's right. I guess I did kinda lose myself.. And I don't really want to say it, but.. I think I kinda even liked it. A bit. Maybe.. What are you doing to me, Price?'_ Max breathed a relieved sigh, happy the butterflies seemed to calm down to a controllable flutter.

"No, you said ' _Cut it out'_. There's a difference." Chloe quipped, sticking her tongue out with a wink and smile before changing her tone to something more sultry. "Now.." With a hand finding its way up the side of Max's thigh, Chloe could almost feel it in the air the rising pulse of her friend who laid there, lips pushed to the side as she nibbled at the inside of her cheek in slight uneasiness. Giving a little chuckle, Chloe quit her faux advances made only to mess with her friend, instead digging her hand into the pocket of Max's jeans and pulling out her phone. "Let's see what kinda tunes you got on here, buddy!"

"Heh.." Max let out, admitting that she was at least somewhat a little amused by that little ruse. "I'll beat you up if you keep doing stuff like that." She said forcing out the most antagonistic voice she could muster, the smile she sported transforming that aggressive tone to something more boisterous and playful than anything else.

A threat Chloe responded with a sarcastically seductive "Me-ow.." while bent over to connect Max's phone to the stereo. "Alright, let's see what this bad boy has to offer!" She exclaimed in anticipation, curious to see how her taste in music has changed over the years. Putting Max's playlist on shuffle before turning around and making her way back toward the bed, able to sit with her back leaning against the wall before the first ring of piano was heard.

 _"There's a phone call on a dark night_

 _A long broken goodbye._

 _An empty hand is wondering where to go._

 _There's a right way and a wrong way_

 _To walk down a lonely highway._

 _And I've been on both sides of the road."_

"Ohh, what's this? No more pop music or boy bands? Glad to see we've both come to our senses." She smirked, nudging into Max's side with a few fingers.

"Ohh god, please don't remind me." Max spoke, sounding entirely of disgust, squirming at the slightest touch on her side, always finding that place particularly ticklish, and pushed herself up on her hands to match Chloe's leaning against the wall. "This was a really good song to start off with.." She trailed off, bouncing her slightly to either side mirrored by her toes, both in rhythm with each note. Singing softly to herself, getting louder as the chorus rolls along.

 _"Now I'm caught in the middle of in and out of love._

 _And either way I turn, I just don't have enough._

 _Between what might be and what has been._

 _Feels like the beginning, feels like the beginning of the end."_

"Okay, I gotta hand it to ya, Caulfield, this doesn't sound.. Too bad. Not a huge fan of this hipster bullshit, but.. I can manage."

Max, two wrapped up in her hipster bullshit to respond to her friends not total dismissal of the song, instead just turned her head to look at Chloe, singing at her just above her normal talking voice, still maintaining her little head bobbing all the way until the end of the song. Her blue haired friend doing the best she could to keep her mouth shut, afraid to make eye contact to avoid laughing at Max's idiotic performance. "You're.. Such an ass." Chloe joked, a hand covering her head shaking in disapproval. Though she could hardly blame max, if it had been one of her punk or metal songs, she'd very likely be up on the bed dancing, making herself look even more of an ass.

Max grinned like an idiot all the while the song faded out, though turning somber just as soon as the next song was cued up and played. "Oh.. Chloe.." Max let out softly, never having really talked about Williams passing with Chloe, unsure how she'd react to the new song.

"Woah, Max. What's with that look?" She chuckled with an inquisitive look.

 _"I saw your father in the hall_

 _His ghost is living in the walls_

 _I heard him crying while you slept_

 _I heard him breaking things after you left"_

"Oh.." Chloe let out, tone and expression now matching the brunettes who has since closed the distance between the two and now rests her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"I'm sorry.." Max voiced, drawing only an elbow shrug from Chloe as signal to get off, to which she gave an inch more space between them.

"It was a long time ago, Max, I don't need your pity anymore!" Her voice becoming irritated and resentful as she turned her gaze out the window. Crossing her arms, "Don't you think it's a little late for that anyway?"

"Chloe, no.. It's just.. We've never really talked about it, you know?" Max leaned in and put a hand on Chloe's forearm to try and console her best friend, hoping to get this out now and put it behind them, only to be met with a cold hand swatting hers off.

"Yes, Max. I do know." She spoke, her words as iced over as the fingers used to push Max's away. Swinging herself around so that she was sitting with her feet planted on the cold wooden floor, her back turned to max and hands gripping the edge of the bed. "I'm not even mad at you for leaving. You made it abundantly clear that wasn't your fault.. What I'm mad at is that when you left, you never even tried to get in contact with me! You knew I was going through the hardest part in my life, and you pretended like I didn't even exist! And now you come here to pity me, like I haven't done that enough for myself." Her knuckles turning bone white from the death grip she had against her mattress before thrusting herself up off the bed in a huff, making her way to the window in front of her desk for a better view.

Max knew she deserved this. There was no excuse for never sending a letter or anything, especially when Chloe needed it most. Though she knew it had to come out eventually, this conversation had to happen or it would eat her away. None of this, the inevitability nor her ability, made this any easier for Max, who already felt on the verge of tears. Her next words however, she knew had to be chosen carefully, lest risk setting Chloe off even further. Sitting herself upright in much the same position blue haired friend was, save the vice against the bed. "Chloe.. I.." Max let out, sounding defeated and ashamed, yet unable to finish before the voice of her friend chilled the room again.

"Max, can you go?" She asserted rather than ask. Turning herself around from the window to face her friend, "I need some time."

Max, entirely blindsided by that request remained seated on the edge of the bed for a few more short seconds, trying to find what, if anything, to say. Rising to her feet and taking a step toward Chloe before stopping as the other turned to look out the window once more. "Chloe." Her voice weak.

"Max, please." Chloes voice softening some, yet still holding her emotion. "Your phones over there." Motioning her head to the stereo it was hooked up to, now in the beginning sounds of a new song.

Conceding, Max made her way over and pocketed her phone, doing what she can to maintain her composure until she left the room. "I'll.. Text you." She murmured, reluctantly taking steps toward the exit. Looking over her shoulder to see Chloe still aiming out the window and closed the door behind her.

* * *

The time she spent walking and riding the bus to her dorm was spent nearly entirely in reflection. Thinking back to the day she left all those years ago, it still kills her. Never having wrote to Chloe, that would be the one thing she would change, but even she can't go back that far. Waiting all these weeks to see her after returning to Arcadia Bay, there's no excuse.

Dragging her feet down the hallway of the girls Dorms and through her door, she threw herself face down on her bed and let out a hearty groan into her blanket. The fresh air she'd breathed on her way here served her well, leaving her proper time to think and calm down before smacking into her bed like she had. Though keeping herself in check, there was no possible way for her to overcome that deep sense of guilt and regret embedded inside her knowing she abandoned her best friend.

' _It was such a long time ago..'_ She told herself in an effort to somehow justify herself, rolling herself over and letting out a deep breath toward her ceiling. Sitting herself upright, just too short for her feet to reach the floor, she took the phone from her pocket to send Chloe a text only to see the songs from her playlist still playing silently.

 _"Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger"_

Drawing another groan from her. ' _Why couldn't you play instead of that song?'_ She thought, seriously considering beating up her phone and taking her lunch money. Debating afterwards to herself if she should have rewound to change the song, _'It would have been so much easier.. But I wouldn't do that to Chloe. I want to be real and natural with her, she's my best friend. Besides, we had to get that out of the way eventually. Even if nothing really came of it.. But I'll give her some time to herself.'_

Pausing the song, Max opened up her messages, scrolled down to Chloe and began to type.

"Hey. Can you pick me up after class tomorrow? I want to talk."

...

…

' _Nothing.'_ Tossing her phone next to her, she rose to her feet and made her way to the door and finally closed it after barging through. Grabbing her guitar on her way past, she hopped onto her mattress with her legs crossed and set herself up to practice.

After thirty minutes of therapeutic strumming the same four chords of her favorite song, Obstacles, her phone finally gives off that familiar sound. **_BZZ BZZ._**

Setting the guitar off to her side, she reached over to where the phone laid by her pillow, grabbing it to look at the new notification.

 _-New Message from Chloe-_

"Me too. Meet you outside on a bench. Lunch?"

"Okay :)"

"Dude.. No."

Should Max ever want a quick laugh, she could always send Chloe something with a little emoji. Almost always guaranteed to draw a response from her. Laying back now with her head resting on her pillow, she pulled her guitar back up to her gently by neck and continued strumming to the same notes. After a short while, her eyes proceeded to get heavier and heavier until she decided it was time to call it a night, setting the guitar leaning against the side of the bed and slipping under the covers, closing her eyes until sleep finally overtook her.

* * *

Max had never been one to find classes boring or tedious, especially not Mr. Jeffersons class Language of Photography, though for her today just seemed like it had been dragging on for days. There's nothing she wanted more than for the final bell to ring signaling the end of the school day so she could run outside (or walk), jump into Chloe's arms (Or say hi), and get a three course meal, though she'd be entirely down for that after skipping lunch at school so the two of them could eat later on.

Her mind trailed off, thinking about how the two might address what happened the night before at Chloe's house. _'I know she'll at least say sorry. No reason to invite me for food if she wasn't gunna, making it all awkward and stuff. Then I'll probably sa-'_ **_RIIIIIIING_** the bell chimed, interrupting her inner dialogue and nearly scaring her out of her seat. Just as she was about to place her water bottle in her bag, a familiar voice called out her name "Max!" Her head darting up to acknowledge the person who hailed her, Mr. Jefferson. "Why don't you hang tight, there's something I wana talk to you about." Literally any other day would have been better than today, so she couldn't help but let out a little groan, made inaudible by her classmates shuffling out the door as she decided to leave the water bottle out until they were officially done.

Max continued to pack her bag with each notebook, not wanting to waste anymore time in here once she was free to leave, though hardly able to call any time spent with Mr. Jefferson 'wasted'. "Max, great!" he proclaimed, swinging a chair around and taking a seat at the table Max remained. "Thought you a second you might have slipped out with the rest of the class." He spoke in his charismatic tone. "Okay, now down to business.. Is there nothing that would convince you to submit a photo in the Everyday Heroes contest?"

"Mr. Jefferson I…" _'Great, this again.'_ "I just don't think I've taken anything worth submitting.."

"Nonsense, Max. Just look at you, I can tell you have an eye for things that others wouldn't even think of." He began, starting to make hand gestures to match the intensity of his words and outline his points. Spouting out quotes from iconic figures to try and provide her with whatever motivation and confidence she needed. "Robert Capa was a Hungarian photojournalist during World War two. He once said 'The pictures are there, you just have to ta-'" Jefferson paused, the near flailing of his arms to further emphasize his point succeeded in moving one thing, Max's water bottle right onto the floor by his feet under the table. With a huff and a shake of his head, "Excuse me." He said, reaching down to pick it up and return it to the table. "I may have to tone it down a bit." He let out with a smirk. "Now.. Where was I?"

Max couldn't help but chuckle even if just a little bit, she can't say he doesn't get entertaining when he gets into little rants. "You were talking about Robert Capa." She reminded him, taking a look at the clock just above the doorway. _'It's been five minutes, pleaaaase hurry!'_ she cried to herself.

"Right. Thanks, Max." He said with a smile. "He once said 'The pictures are there, you just have to take them.' That's all they are, Max. Moments in time just waiting to be captured. Here, let me show you. Do you mind?" Jefferson asked, a finger pointing to the camera sat comfortably on the table.

"Oh, no. Go ahead." She implored

"Thank you." He said, again with a smile as he lifted it closer to examine it. "Like Robert and I said, a photograph is just a moment in time and it's your job to capture it. But like everything, timing is key. So why don't you go ahead and… Take a sip from your bottle I beat up." A request Max just gave a little snicker to before twisting open the cap of the bottle and proceeding to take a few large sips until the flash goes off. Something that as a professional photographer, Mr. Jefferson held off on right away while finding the right angle. But after a short while and just over half a bottle, the flash lit up the corner of the room, casting Max's large shadow for a split second.

Near instantly a square piece of paper emerged from the front of the camera. Taking the picture in his hand and shaking it to further develop it, Jefferson took the first look at it before sitting down again in front of Max. "Still got it." He joked, turning the polaroid around to show Max. "You see, Max? Anything is a photograph if you look for it. Don't imagine you'd wana submit this one, would ya?" Once again he joked, placing both the camera and picture on the table in front of Max.

"Ohh, not a chance." She laughed, taking the photo and sliding it between the pages in her journal that waited patiently to get a move on. Taking a glance back at the clock, _'Nearly ten minutes now, come ooooooooon.'_

"That's a new camera you have, isn't it?" Jefferson pointed out.

 _'UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH'_ She screamed inside. "Yes. A friend gave it to me after mine broke." She said instead with a half smile.

"Oh? That's a shame. Those old fashioned polaroid cameras.. There's really nothing like them. The ones they make today, they just aren't the same, you know? Truly is a travesty when one of those breaks. How did it happen?"

"Oh, it was nothing. Nathan bumped into me in the parking lot the other day.. it fell." Max said, her heartbeat gradually beginning to rise accompanied by shorter and quicker breaths.

"Bumped into you, huh? The parking is a pretty big place to happen to bump into someone."

"It was.. It was an acci.. accident…" Her voice sounding weaker with each coming minute as well as her heart beat and breaths leveling out as if she had just run a marathon in thirty minutes. A fine layer of perspiration forming on her face.

"Max?" Jefferson leaned in, squinting his eyes as he got a better look at his student. "Are you okay?" He asked sounding concerned?

"I don… I ju.." She sounded off, unable to complete her sentence, instead grabbing her camera and placing it in her bag, a task more strenuous than she could have ever imagined it. Rising up off her seat, she leaned down to get her bag, all of her strength just able to barely get a single strap up over her shoulder, the other one thankfully being easier. "I have to.." Her words escaping her once more as she found herself leaning forward with only her hands holding her up from the table.

"Here, let me." Jefferson said, rising to his feet. "Put an arm around my waist and hold on, okay? I'll take you to a doctor." Max wrapped an arm around him as told, one of Jeffersons hands coming down to hold just under Max's arm in an attempt to keep her on her feet. "Okay, here we go." He said to prepare her as the two began the shuffle down toward the door and into the hallway.

Her vision was fading fast and each step became harder than the last as she placed more of her weight in her teachers hands, it felt to her she would never make it to the door. The bag on her back feeling a hundred pounds and her shoes like bricks. After what felt to max to be near an eternity, the two passed through the double layers of doors to the outside world, the chill of the autumn air feeling like ice as it mingled with the sweat laying over her face. The sound of the doors closing drawing attention of her friend who had been waiting for near twenty minutes.

"Max!" Chloe exclaimed impatiently, turning herself around in the wooden bench to face her and pocketing the phone halfway through another text to Max. "Dude I've been texting you for… Max?" Her voice softening as she saw the condition of her friend, leaning against her professor with a weak grip around his waist and hair in her face as her head bobbed up and down so slightly, holding it up seeming more of a chore. Rising to her feet and reaching the two in just a couple strides, their path having quickly adjusted toward the dormitories. "Max! Whats wrong? Are you okay?!" She called out in concern, sliding the bag off Max's shoulders and closing it up before tossing it over her own back.

"Chlo…" Max mumbled, the voice of her friend so faintly familiar through the muffled ringing everything sounds like, unable to differentiate anything with her eyes. The silver lining being she no longer felt like she was carrying the world on her shoulders.

"You're her friend, right? I'd never forget that hair." Jefferson said throwing up a forced half smile, though somewhat irritated today was the day she showed up. "She can't talk. Can hardly walk. I was gunna take her to her dorm so she could lay down for a while, but maybe you could take care of her?" Trying to dump her on her friend, knowing Chloe would follow the two wherever they had gone.

"Yeah, yeah of course! Here, give me.." Chloe spoke out, positioning herself to Max's side and preparing to take most of her weight.

"Great." Jefferson said, conceding Max over to her friend. "Take care of her, okay?" He let out sounding unconcerned and turned around, lightly jogging back towards the door before Chloe could respond.

"Mmmph.." Max moaned, her arm now draped over Chloe's shoulder as she leaned most of her weight into her, hoping she'd be able to carry her.

"Okay, let's get you to my place.." She declared as the two took their first step on the long journey toward Chloe's truck, neither of them aware of the eyes they drew from the few that still remained in front of the main hall.

Max's head throbbed, pounding as if she'd gone an hour back in time. She counted each thump she felt as if it were sheep to make time seem faster, her eyes getting heavier and heavier as staying awake became yet another obstacle she'd have to overcome, though she was sure counting the stampede in her head had nothing to do with her drowsiness.

Just as she felt herself slipping out of consciousness she was just as soon thrust forward, landing sideways atop the tattered cushion of the seat in Chloe's truck. No longer being on her feet and finally having what felt to her at the time like a cloud to lay on, it wasn't more than a few seconds before she found herself falling deeply asleep.

Meanwhile, Jefferson found himself rushing back into his classroom and made his way over to the table where he and Max sat, his bitterness stowed away securely inside. "You fucking blue haired bitch.." He mumbled to himself, not wanting his words to spill into the hallway. He picked up the mostly empty bottle still standing atop the desk, then bending over to retrieve the near full one that he had so accidentally knocked over earlier. "You won't remember a god damn thing.." He said in that same tone, moving over to his bag with both bottles in hand to stow away and dispose of later. "That shits expensive too.."

* * *

 **Notes:**

Okay, so I decided it's worth a shot to continue. Nobody's ever become a better writer by not writing, right? Still not 100% sure on the exact path I'd wana take this, but I'm sure you guys could see some similarities between this and the actual story, so maybe I'll stick closer to the source material than not if nothing strikes me.

Like before, PLEASE let me know the things I've done poorly so I can work on it for next time. I know this is far from perfect, It's just my hope to see after a couple of months or a year just how worse it is than whatever I'll be working on then hah. Oh, and Happy Halloween!

 **Songs mentioned:**

1st -The End of the Beginning - Steve Moakler

2nd - Wrapped In Piano Strings - Radical Face


End file.
